Smile
by Katylar
Summary: Our actions speak louder than words, and Todd show Wanda how he's lived a life of challenges, when hers come crashing down. Oneshot TONDA, Read and Review, please.


**Notes:** Ok everybody, this is my first attempt in writing an X-men: Evolution fanfic. So if any of the characters are a bit OOC, please forgive me. I haven't seen the show in a long time, and picked up most of what I know from the web. I can not, for the life of me, do accents, so I'm just going to stick to plain old English while you fill in the proper flavor, ok? I noticed that there aren't a lot of Tonda (or Wandd, if you will) fics out there, so I made one! This is pure fluffy goodness, with just a bit of angst. To all of you Todd/Wanda shippers out there, enjoy! To everyone else… er… enjoy too! The song for this fic is 'With A Smile' By Eraserheads.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or background information. Those belong to Marvel. I just own the plot. Wow. That's annoying. Why can't just put a standard disclaimer in each category? Anyway….  
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* * *

Smile

"_Dream on, but don't imagine they'll all come true."_

_-Billy Joel

* * *

_

A scream pierced the cold midnight air as a young girl ran from one surreal street to the next. Panting frantically, she was pushing herself to her breaking point just trying to escape the unknown terror following her, slinking from the shadows, only to reappear from her own. Her vision was blurry and slightly swimming as she looked up at the gray, colorless clouds above.

She had to run away. Run away from what? She did not know. All she could comprehend at the moment was a rising panic erupting from deep within her stomach. Cold fear gripped her as the bile rose and left a bitter taste in her mouth.

Not stopping, she glanced backwards, and instantly understood.

A figure slowly stepped out from the shadows, followed closely by a smaller, more slender one. The taller one had a cape. And a helmet. A helmet she knew was specifically designed to protect the wearer from his best friend.

Eric Magnus Lensherr. A man the rest of the world knew as Magneto.

Her father.

As recognition seeped into her fogged mind, she saw the smaller shadow for who he was. The betrayer. Her other half. Her twin.

Magneto's hand lifted and pointed at her as steel bars from a nearby construction site flew towards their controller's own daughter. Heavy metal digging deep into concrete as they surrounded her, blocking any means of escape. She closed her eyes, waiting for the last bars to come into place and cold, lonely darkness to engulf her.

It never came.

Instead, she saw a shadow kicking away the remaining bars. Watched as the figure crouched low as it got ready for another series of blocks, protecting her from the darkness. Holding it at bay.

The shadow turned, and golden eyes bore into her. Beautiful eyes. She watched them switch from one emotion to the next: anger, tension, anxiety, and sadness. Finally settling to a look she could not decipher.

She looked into those eyes, grateful for their golden glow. Only to watch them fade as a spike was driven in between them. A piece of iron, beforehand, only floating around aimlessly, now an instrument of death.

As the ever-present darkness consumed her, Wanda Maximoff- glistening drops on her face that were anything but rain- did the only thing she could.

She screamed.

* * *

Pietro ran as fast as he could once he heard the shrill voice pierce through the night. He knew for a fact that his sister wasn't someone to scream needlessly. She was always the one who kept quiet. Even when they were just kids, he knew that his Wanda would grow up to be a strong person. Always looking onwards silently while he screamed out. Terror, pain or both ripping through his insides caused by their father's not so gentle ministrations.

He had cried. She had just sighed.

In the few milliseconds it took Quicksilver to reach the door to his twin's room, memories of Wanda had already come flashing through his mind, brightly galvanizing his resolve as he rushed to her aid.

'Finally!' He spoke to himself. He threw caution to the winds as he rushed into Scarlet Witch's room, using his momentum-generated gales to break down the door.

Peitro Maximoff has pretty much seen it all in his short tenure on Earth. He was the son of the most powerful mutant alive, served the same mutant in his blind quest for world domination. He was the twin brother of a beautiful homicidal mental ward patient. He lived with a person who caused earthquakes, a teen with invulnerable body fat, and the frog prince. He fought a team with laser-beams-coming-out-of-his-eyes seventeen-year old as leader on a regular basis. He was the fastest man alive.

Having said that, there are few things in this life or the next that would shock and frighten the teenager with platinum locks.

The sight of his sister's normally well-kept room ripped apart, as well as the lampposts outside creating a walkway for the sleep-running Wanda from the now gaping hole where the wall used to be counted as one of those things.

Quicksilver just stood there, still and speechless, for probably the first time outside unconsciousness, as he watched his sister run, sobbing and screaming out in the rain.

The was the state Lance Alvers and Freddy Dukes found their housemate when they rushed to the scene a few moments later.

"My god! Pie! Where the hell is Wanda? And what happened to her room?" Inquired the boy codenamed Avalanche, barely keeping his fear in check. He too, was frightened. As was Fred. They all knew about their only female housemate's relationship with her father. Magneto was capable of anything. Even abducting his only daughter in the middle of the night. The twisted metal did little to ease their anxieties.

"Yeah, Pietro!" Fred seconded. Getting no response, he decided to resort to more… drastic measures. He grabbed Pietro's head and shook him violently.

"Snap out of it! You're the only person who got here fast enough, so that probably means you're the only one who saw her. So spill!" The Blob shouted therapeutically.

Either through the bodily shaking or the messing up of his normally immaculate hair, Quicksilver regained his bearings and looked at Blob strangely before moving out of the giant's grasp.

"I know what the two of you are thinking. No, father has not been here. It was all Wanda. Her powers might have gone haywire. She is currently running on the subconsciously bent lamppost road in her sleep." He said in a flash. A second later, he was gone, running off to find his twin.

"Oh, Ok. Just make sure you people don't come to me for the money for the repairs!" Lance said to the now Maximoff-free room, at no one in particular. He started walking downstairs to finish his game of solitaire. Freddy followed shortly after.

"Lance?"

"Yeah?"

"So, we just leave the two of them to sort things out?"

"I guess. I'm too damned bored for the excitement."

"Uhh… sure. But did you notice Todd wasn't there?"

"Yeah, you're right. Normally, with that crush of his, he would have been the first one on the scene." Lance wondered.

The Blob just shrugged and went back to his room to sleep and dreaming of food.

* * *

Pietro had caught up to Wanda a while ago. The few blocks she had covered in her blind frenzy meaning little to him as he silently followed the bent lampposts and trees. He was now stalking her stealthily. He wasn't stupid. He knew the rule: never wake up a sleepwalker.

'Especially if the sleepwalker is your homicidal sister with the powers to alter probability.' He added silently to himself. Flashes of the last few months' events emerging in his mind as he followed his twin monotonously.

His terror and apprehension as he saw Wanda for the first time since that night. His remorse and regret as he realized what his sister had become, a person driven only by hate and anger towards the two people who she once loved. His shameful relief when she went after their father to Arrowrose. His mirth when Todd's crush on her drove the small boy to go after her. His concern when Todd came back with Wanda, an odd look on his face. Like someone torn when receiving a thing he knew he didn't deserve.

His anger and surrender as he learned about what happened. His resigned acceptance as he listened to his father's explanation to the deed. His sleepless nights as he listened to her toss and turn in her sleep, bothered by ghosts of memories erased by a mutant named Mastermind. His guilt every time he saw Todd give him that look he had whenever he looked at Wanda after another nightmare. His horror when Todd finally broke down and told her everything. His admiration for the small boy who faced heartbreak and loneliness, but still told the truth because of love. His shock when he found out that Wanda didn't leave for another mission to kill their father, only went to her room and never spoke to them again.

"Pietro. I know you're there. Go away. I don't need you."

Quicksilver's reverie was interrupted by the Scarlet Witch's soft voice. That was the first time he'd heard it in a week. Ever since Todd told her.

"Look, sis. You just tore your room apart, destroyed a good number of the city's lampposts and are now sitting wet and alone on a side walk, wearing only you're night gown. Don't tell me you don't need help." He said, a little harsher than intended. He was irked a bit by her attitude. He had come out of _concern_, damn it! Why wouldn't she just like him for once?

"I don't need help from _you_," was the cold reply. An eerie blue light lit up the dark street as she called upon the power over physics that was her birthright.

Pietro started backing away slightly. This was not good. It must have been an extra painful nightmare to cause her to get this hostile. He decided to let her cool off a bit, before he became the concerned, over-bearing brother again.

"OK. Jeez… Just trying to help." He said, the words jumbled together as he disappeared into the shadows, the sound of rushing wind marking his departure.

"You too, Toad. Come down now." Wanda spoke softly a hex bolt still charged in her right hand. Knowing well that that was all it took for Toad's hearing to detect.

A shadow gracefully leapt from a nearby tree, sinking into a crouch and looking around before straightening out and walking towards her, stopping before he became too close. Lifting her head with a finger on her chin. Eyes flashed towards her.

Golden eyes.

"Are you okay?" He asked. Concerned flecked his words.

"Do I look like I'm okay?" She yelled tersely. Anger flashing in her eyes and the hex bolt glowing a bit more brightly.

The rain glistened surreally as they reflected the light from her hands in their short descent to earth, the sound of their demise, the soft pitter-patter, the only audible thing in the night.

Todd gingerly took off his white shirt and put it gently in her hands. Covering the bright blue glow.

"No. In fact, I think you'd better put this on, yo." He replied, humor absent from his voice. He quickly turned around.

Wanda just looked at the thing in her hands, and at her herself. The thin material she wore as a nightgown was now practically see-through. Revealing more than she cared to show. The cool air causing parts of her to perk up wasn't helping, either.

She let the hex dissipate as she quickly put on the shirt given to her by the person from her dreams.

The shirt fit around her snugly, making her instantly feel warmer. Whether from the extra covering or from the person to whom it belonged to, she did not know.

She looked at him quietly, he was still facing the other direction, giving her the time to examine him. He was clad only in his pajama pants and looking at the stars. His slender body and lean muscles reflecting his natural agility and training as a fighter. She felt the rush of blood to her cheeks as she realized her gaze lingering on the aforementioned muscles.

"Happy? You got to have your peep show!" She said, covering up her embarrassment with her usual gruff tone.

The hurt in his golden eyes cut her very deeply.

"How about you? Aren't you cold?" she amended.

"No. I'm a toad, remember? I live for the rain." He replied. His gaze still on her, bitterness causing him to cast a sorrowful look with those golden eyes.

As she felt his sadness, she recalled the very reason why they were outside in the rain the first place. Memories came rushing into her mind. The nightmares. The things her father had done. The lies they had all told her. Even him.

She hated her father all the more. But, she did not want to leave the brotherhood.

This, she did not understand.

He reached gently and touched her shoulder, shaking her out of her reverie. She instantly looked up at him, sorrow-filled eyes borrowing into him. Cutting through his front like a hot knife through butter.

"Why, Todd? Why do I not leave? Why can't I make myself go after the man who calls himself my father? Why don't I just go and forget about all of you. Forget your lies, your deception, your secrets?" She asked, urgency mingling in the sadness and confusion.

"I… I don't know Wanda. I honestly don't know." He answered, throat dry.

"I once didn't know why I stayed there, myself. I was raised by the streets, and picked pockets just so I could live through the night and pick pockets some more tomorrow. Look at me, Wanda, I don't even know why God put me into this world. I don't have any of your superpowers, or cool abilities or good looks. What can I do? I stick to walls, spit out slime and have a 6-foot long tongue. I don't have any of the advantages of being a 'mutie-freak' but I have all the disadvantages. Sometimes, I think I'm nothing more than a cosmic joke. Something the powers that be made to keep them amused through eternity." He confessed.

She was crying now, leaning against his shoulder and wrapping her arms around his waist as he poured out his heart.

"And somewhere along the line, I realized what I truly was- a criminal. Damned by God. Born to live on the wrong side of the fence. I just fight to get through this life with the least amount of damage. But then I met you, Wanda."

She stopped sobbing and looked up at him with questioning eyes.

"So, I don't know why you stayed Wanda. Even after I told you the truth, let you know how long I've lied to you just so I could see you everyday, selfishly thinking what Mastermind did to you would make you less angry at me. But I sure am grateful you didn't leave, yo."

"Todd…"

"You're the reason why I'm here Wanda… The reason why God put me in this hell we call life. The only reason why I wake up every morning. The reason why I still have the will to live." He finally spoke. Resting his chin on her head as he stood there, his arms wrapped around the woman he had learned to love.

She sighed contently as she rested her head on his shoulder, inhaling the scent of grass and rain. She really didn't know why she didn't leave.

But she knew one thing for sure: It was because of Todd. More than anything or anyone else.

Everyone else in the Brotherhood cared for her, even her brother. And she had finally accepted that. But somehow, she knew it was Todd who had made her stay.

Todd was the one who bugged her every moment. Made her feel wanted. He was the one who came to her every night, making sure she was well. He was the one who comforted her after every nightmare. He was the one, always by her window, following her on her walks, comforting her with his silent presence and his eyes' golden glow. Her quiet guardian.

"Todd… I just wanted you to know…" She croaked. Her voice cracking with emotion. "I didn't leave… I didn't leave… be- because of you."

The one who told her the truth, even though he knew that he would probably lose her. He was the only one who loved her enough to willingly lose her, so she could be free.

For that, she was eternally grateful.

She knew, even though the world was full of trials, full of pain, she would always come through as long as Todd was by her side. Ready with a smile and a stupid pet name to make her feel like life was worth living.

She felt the warm tears as they quietly fell from her closed eyes.

"Shh… Don't cry, Babycakes. Just smile. Don't think of any of the problems, just think of the good things. Like the sun. The stars. The moon." He said softly. "Think of love, think of your family, think of us."

Family. He was right. No matter what happened, the brotherhood was a family, one that didn't say it out loud, but was filled with love.

And people don't leave family.

They love them, instead.

"Todd… thanks."

"For what, yo?"

"For being there. For telling me the truth. For being you-"

"For what Wanda? For doing the thing any other person would do to a loved one? You don't need to thank me for that-" He interrupted.

"For making me fall in love with you." She finished, as softly as falling leaves. No blush came to her cheeks. She had said nothing to be embarrassed about. She had just told the truth.

He stood there, stiff with shock. He did not question it. He knew she would not even come close to saying it if she did not mean it.

"I… I love you Wanda. Have loved you for a long time. And will love you for a long time to come." He whispered.

"You're the reason I smile."

She smiled on his shoulder, still wrapped up in the comforting warmth of his arms. The rain giving no discomfort, only a beautiful backdrop.

"You're my reason, too" She uttered.

"I know."

They stood there for a few more minutes, just basking in each other's presence.

He didn't know what lay ahead, but for now, everything was perfect.

"We'd better head back… But I don't want to." She said softly.

"I know."

"They must be worried sick. Especially Pietro."

"I know." He spoke as he gently took her hand and led her towards the Boarding house.

"And I don't care whether or not you're part frog, you must be freezing. I can't have my boyfriend freezing to death."

"I know" He grinned.

"Do you know there are more words in the English language than 'I know'?"

"I know."

She whacked him on the head. The friendly banter erasing all memories of hurt as she walked home with the one she loved.

She did not know what tomorrow might bring, but as she looked into Todd's golden eyes, she was sure she could overcome any trial.

Her brother, Lance, Freddy. Even the X-men. They were all a part of her in some indelible way. They were all interconnected. Like the stars in the night, giving off a warm golden glow, like Todd's eyes.

_Family._

She smiled.

* * *

"_In a world where everybody hates a happy ending story,_

_It's a wonder love can make the world go 'round."_

_-Eraserheads_.

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**Notes:** Well, how was it? My second fanfic! Yey! If you people want more, Just e-mail me. Just don't leave reviews with nothing more than 'Continue!' on them, please. I told you it was sappy as hell! Thanks for reading and hope you review! If you want the unedited version, just e-mail me.

Smile!


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